Originally posted 05/17/07
In 1997 Dustin Hoffman starred in “Wag the Dog”, if you have not seen the movie it is about a Washington DC politico getting together with a Hollywood producer to create a fake war entirely “fought” on a sound stage to deflect news coverage of a sex scandal involving the President before his re-election. Shortly after the release President Clinton was undergoing scrutiny for his relationship with Monica Lewinsky and in August, 1998 he sent warplanes to bomb targets in Afghanistan and the Sudan. Immediately the Clinton Administration was bombarded with questions, inquiries and criticism that the bombings were a “Wag the Dog” response to the growing Lewinsky scandal. “Wag the dog” became part of our lexicon—much like Watergate—as a descriptor for certain types of political malfeasance or image casting.
I thought of this movie and the term “wag the dog” when I read about a small group of teachers backed by the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB)—their union—demanding the removal of a principal who has led one of the greatest improvements in any school in the Long Beach Unified School District in recent history. I have little doubt that a large motivation for TALB to incite the mini-demonstration in front of Edison Elementary last week was to deflect criticism and publicity from the fast growing scandal that is their hand-picked and supported member of the school board Michael Shane Ellis. TALB needed some event or issue to try to show its membership that they are not just a power-hungry political machine bent on seizing control of the school board so they can fire Superintendent Chris Steinhauser and then negotiate with themselves for new contracts. What better issue to show their approximately 4600 members than a principal that has “bullied” (my word) their fellow teachers?
Rally the membership to get another principal fired or transferred! Create unity with membership as they fight an evil administrator! Show them that their union, and more importantly their monthly union dues, is supporting them and their brothers and sisters against abusive bosses! Deflect any attention from the TALB leader’s sidekick who the union spent tens of thousands of dollars to get elected for the school board but is mired in a morass of possible probation violations, driving under the influence charges and driving violations!
Unfortunately TALB was so anxious to wag the dog they did not pick a very good target. Matty Zamora, Principal at Edison Elementary School has led the school from one of the poorest performing schools in the District to one of the highest. Installing new curricula in the classrooms and working with students, teachers and parents she has overseen a dramatic increase in test scores for the downtown campus. Along the way she has demanded what parents who care about their children’s education also demand: accountability, responsibility and quality education from everyone involved in the process: students, teachers and administrators. It seems however that some of the teachers had their feelings hurt, or perhaps do not appreciate being held accountable. Result: complain to their union representative and then let TALB give them the tools to create a public relations event.
And that is what the situation at Edison Elementary is, a public relations event. An event that is slandering a quality administrator, the type of leader responsible for LBUSD winning the prestigious Broad Prize a few years ago and being a finalist this year, and wagging TALB’s dog.
Maybe this incident will galvanize the vast majority of teachers who seemingly take no interest in the way TALB operates or conducts its business. Maybe this majority will speak up and demand of its union to account for the PAC funds taken from their checks, account for the way their dues are spent and explain to them why their mission is to gain power and a majority on the school board so they can turn Long Beach Unified into LA Unified or the fiasco that has become Redondo Beach Unified as a result of TALB Executive Director Scott McVarish’s tenure in a similar position of the teacher’s union there.
There should be a protest at Edison. If my kids were at Edison and one of their teachers was one of the ones complaining about the methods used to better their education you can bet I would protest—until my child was transferred to another teacher; or to transfer or dismiss teachers who seemingly do not care that kids learn better and more.
More to come on this issue.